This article is meant as a guide for beginners just getting into the guitar, the guitar neck is an often overlooked part of the guitar’s anatomy, the neck contributes far more to the sound of the instrument than most people realize. In the following paragraphs I’m going provide you with some little known facts about the guitar neck and talk about what kind of neck would suit your playing style.
The guitar neck is generally made out of a much stronger wood than the rest of the guitar’s body; this is because it needs to resist the stresses placed on it by the tension of the guitar strings, cheap guitars usually have weaker necks. As of yet manufacturers have no standardized way of attaching the neck of the guitar to the body of the instrument, whilst some companies just tend to attach them with a bit of glue, some guitar makers actually screw the neck onto the guitar, the fender guitar neck is attached using this technique.
Despite what many people may tell you, different models of guitar will have rather different guitar necks. For example, an Ibanez RG has an extremely thin electric guitar neck, this is because these guitars are mainly used by lead guitarists and a thinner neck will make playing at speed much easier. Thinner guitar necks also allow easy access to the higher frets which is very handy for playing solos and lead passages. Having said that, thinner guitar necks aren’t ideal for all players; in fact those concerned with playing rhythm will probably want a slightly thicker neck because it allows them to get a much richer and louder sound, this why the bass guitar neck is so thick.
Some readers maybe wondering what the deal is with guitarists playing guitars with two necks, the double neck guitar was made popular in the late seventies and early eighties, guitarists used them mainly as a way to play really melodic verses with a 12-string whilst using the 6-string to play overdriven choruses. These are actually two separate guitars and are a great way to add some depth into your songs.
That’s my quick guide to the guitar neck folks; hope you’ve found it an interesting and informative read. As a genuine rule lead guitarists may be best starting off with a thinner guitar neck whilst rhythm guitarists may get a much richer sound using a guitar with a much thicker neck.
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